A community in Canada declared a state of emergency after 11 people attempted suicide on Saturday and March recorded an average of almost an attempt a day.
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The designation means a crisis response team from Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents eight First Nations including Attawapiskat, is being sent in to help.
The Health Canada federal agency said in a statement that two mental health counselors had been dispatched to the community as part of the crisis response unit.
Shisheesh said the attempts have been made by people of all ages – the oldest 71, and the youngest just 11.
New Democrat Charlie Angus, whose sprawling northern Ontario riding includes Attawapiskat, has called the situation a “rolling nightmare” and said northern communities aren’t given the resources they need to deal with complicated grief. One person died, Canadian media has reported.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also weighed in on the situation Sunday, tweeting on Twitter that the news from Attawapiskat “heartbreaking”.
The Attawapiskat First Nation, which has been plagued by suicides for decades, is home to about 2,000 people, and Hookimaw said the community needs more resources.
The Assembly of First Nations is calling for “immediate action and long-term support” for the remote northern Ontario community of Attawapiskat, where a state of emergency was declared this weekend following a spike in suicide attempts. “They’re backlogged”, said the council’s Deputy Grand Chief, Rebecca.
Previous studies have suggested suicide and self-inflicted injuries are among the leading causes of death among First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.
One study in 1994, which focused in British Columbia communities, found that some indigenous or First Nations groups had youth suicide rates that are among the highest of any culturally identifiable group in the world. While Sheridan was suffering from a number of medical ailments and being bullied at school, Jackie said poverty, and the psychological trauma of residential schools, which continues to haunt the community generations later, along with the restrictions of living on a reservation, serve as triggers.
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“I’ve lost count of the states of emergency in the James Bay region since I was elected”.
